Packaging

ABSTRACT

A primary package comprising two or more compartments which can be opened individually, each compartment comprising a plurality of unit dose detergent portions and wherein at least one compartment is substantially air-tight before it is opened for the first time. The package provides for good stability of the detergent portions.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a package comprising a plurality of unit dose detergent portions. In particular the present invention relates to such packaging comprising two or more separate compartments each containing a plurality of unit dose detergent portions.

BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART

Unit dose portions are well known in detergent applications as they provide ease of dosing and easy handling for consumers. Typical unit dose forms include tablets and sachets or pouches. The sachets and pouches may be filled with solid detergent (including in granular or powdered form), pastes, liquids or a mixture thereof.

Tablets (particularly of a compressed particulate composition), sachets and pouches comprising detergent portions are well known for use in dish-washing machines or laundry washing machines. Such tablets, sachets and pouches are added to the washing machine and are fully consumed by the end of the washing operation. Examples of such tablets are dishwashing tablets such as those sold under the trademark Finish, water-softening tablets such as those sold under the trademark Calgon and laundry detergent tablets such as those sold under the trademark Persil.

Such detergent tablets are already known to be wrapped in water-soluble wrappers. This has the advantage that a consumer can take the wrapped tablet and handle it while placing it in a washing machine without having to touch the tablet components. Some components of the tablet such as bleaches and enzymes may be irritating to the skin, eyes etc and so it is undesirable to handle the tablet. The wrapper is suitably of a water-soluble material such as a polyvinyl alcohol. An example of a wrapped detergent tablet is that sold under the trademark Sun.

It is known to store individual portions of detergent portions such as detergent tablets in an outer container and in particular in a re-sealable container. See for example GB 2 323 352, WO 02/030764, JP 2001287769 and JP 2003063563. Such commercial products include dishwashing and laundry sachets or pouches containing either a liquid or separate compartments of a powder and gel which are covered in a water-soluble outer wrapper and included in an outer re-sealable flexible bag made of a plastic or an outer re-sealable box or other container.

However, a problem with these types of known containers which contain such unit dose detergent portions is that although the container is re-sealable it often does not prevent instability of the detergent composition inside it developing over time once the container has been opened for the first time. This is undesirable as it can lead to physical and/or chemical changes in the detergent composition which may lead to loss in performance and/or to the appearance and/or integrity thereof.

There is therefore a need to provide packaging for detergent portions which provide good stability of unit dose detergent portions packed therein. In particular there is a need for such packaging which provides for good stability of the unit dose detergent portions packed therein even after the package has been opened for the first time.

It is an object of the present invention to address one or more of the above problems.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION

Surprisingly it has been found that when a multi-compartment re-sealable primary packaging is used for storing unit dose detergent portions good stability is achieved for substantially all of the unit dose portions in that packaging, even after it has been opened for the first time. In particular when each individual compartment in the multi-compartment packaging is capable of being individually resealed very good results are obtained for the stability of the unit dose detergent portions therein.

Accordingly the present invention provides a primary package comprising two or more compartments which can be opened individually, each compartment comprising a plurality of unit dose detergent portions and wherein at least one compartment is substantially air-tight before it is opened for the first time.

Preferably the package comprises three or more compartments which are opened individually. It is also preferred that all compartments in the package are substantially air-tight before they are opened for the first time.

The compartments preferably comprise a substantially air-tight closure means adhered to the compartment before they are opened for the first time, this closure means preferably comprising a flexible web of material.

To allow the consumer to view the contents of the package it is preferred that at least a part of at least one compartment is transparent.

It is preferred that the compartments of the package are either stacked, arranged adjacent to each other or both. To provide further dimensional stability to the package it is preferred that the compartments are reversibly bound to each other, preferably by the compartments being reversibly bound to each other by a wrapper placed around at least a part of the package.

In addition to the substantially air-tight closure means the package preferably additionally further comprise a further individual closure means. The further individual closure means preferably connects to the compartment by a tongue-and-groove arrangement.

The unit dose detergent portion in the package preferably comprises a compressed particulate material.

According to one aspect of the present invention it is preferred that the unit dose detergent portion comprises an outer wrapper, in particular a water soluble or water dispersible wrapper preferably comprising polyvinyl alcohol.

The unit dose detergent portion preferably comprises fabric care, surface care or dishwashing composition(s).

The present invention enables at least some of the unit dose detergent portions in the primary package to be shielded from damaging environmental factors such as moisture and air by virtue of being kept in substantially airtight compartments prior to being opened. It is known that contact with moisture can damage/soften detergent tablets and can adversely affect the integrity of sachets and pouches made of water soluble material. Moreover some of the ingredients conventionally used in detergent compositions exhibit at least some degree of instability over time when in contact with the air. Thus it is desirable to limit the exposure of such tablets to the open air and this is achieved by the substantially airtight compartments which are accessed by the consumer by opening at least a portion of the compartment and closing it when the detergent portion has been removed. Furthermore, rather than the primary package containing the total number of unit dose detergent compositions sold together as a single unit, these compositions are contained within two or more compartments. This has the advantage that the unit dose detergent portions in a given compartment are only exposed to the aforementioned environmental factors when that compartment is opened thus limiting exposure thereto. Also by placing the unit dose detergent portions into two or more compartments there is a reduced tendency for the portions rub or knock together so reducing attrition between them which otherwise can damage the surfaces of the portions.

Unless otherwise stated all percentages herein are percentages by weight expressed as the weight based on the weight of the total composition.

By the term “unit dose detergent portions” as used herein is meant a individual portion of a detergent composition sufficient for a single cleaning operation. However, if desired two or more such portions can be used together in a single cleaning operation.

By the term “substantially all” as used herein is meant 80% or more, preferably 90% or more, more preferably 95% or more.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION (i) Package

The primary package of the invention comprises two or more compartments which are opened and closed individually.

The primary package preferably comprises three or more of the aforementioned compartments, such as four or more. In some cases it is desirable for the package to comprise five or more compartments.

The compartments may be arranged in any suitable spatial arrangement relative to each other to produce the primary package. For example the compartments may be arranged side-by-side as shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively the compartments may be arranged so that they are stacked on top of each other as shown in FIG. 2. In a further embodiment it is provided for a mixture of stacking and adjacent compartments to be used e.g. 2 or 3 compartments may be placed adjacent to each other and additional compartments placed thereon. For example an additional compartment may be stacked on top of each of two adjacent compartments so that there are four compartments placed two wide and stacked two high. The same arrangement could be used for any desired number of compartments.

The two or more compartments which form the primary package of the invention may either permanently, or reversibly, be bound to each other. If the compartments are permanently bound to each other they may be formed from a single piece of material e.g. plastics material. If the compartments are reversibly bound to each other they may be adhered to each other by an adhesive bond which is broken to separate the compartments or they may be reversibly bound in some other way such as by the use of an outer wrapper or by a frangible connection between the compartments.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention the two or more compartments are reversibly bound to each other to form the primary package. It is especially preferred that three or more compartments are reversibly bound to each other to form the primary package.

It is preferred that a wrapper placed around at least a part of the package is used to reversibly bind the two or more compartments together. This wrapper is preferably placed around two or more compartments either stacked on top of each other or placed in a side-by-side arrangement. The wrapper may cover all, or substantially all of the exposed face(s) of the compartments, or it may cover the whole or a part of only some of those faces. It is especially preferred that at least one of the faces of each of the compartments is not covered by the wrapper to allow the contents of the compartments to be viewed by the consumer. It is especially preferred that at least two faces of each of the compartments are not covered by the wrapper to provide very good visibility to the consumer of the unit dose detergent portions contained within the compartment. If the wrapper covers substantially all of the faces of the compartments in the primary package, it is then preferred that the contents of at least one of the compartments can be viewed through the wrapper by the consumer.

The wrapper is preferably arranged around the perimeter of the primary package formed by the two or more compartments of the primary package. It is of any suitable dimensions and material so as to provide additional dimensional stability to the primary package compared to the package in the absence of the outer wrapper where this is necessary by virtue of the spatial arrangement of the two or more compartments in relation to each other. The wrapper may be applied to the primary package by any suitable conventional method. For the reversibly bound compartments, the primary package is typically formed by bringing together the two or more compartments in the chosen arrangement and then the outer wrapper is applied thereto. When the primary package is formed from permanently bound compartments, the package is formed and the wrapper is applied thereto. In both cases the wrapper may be applied as loosely or tightly fitting as desired. However in the cases where the outer wrapper is applied to non-permanently joined compartments, such as compartments which are not physically joined but which are simply stacked on top of each other, the wrapper is preferably applied in a manner such that it is relatively close fitting and provides additional dimensional stability to the stack.

The wrapper may be formed of paper (especially waxed or re-enforced paper), cardboard or sheets of plastic material such as polyethylene or polypropylene based polymers. It may provide printed information on the product as desired, or, it may be blank and it may be transparent, semi-transparent or opaque as desired.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention the compartments are reversibly connected to each other by the use of one or more adhesive bonds and also by an wrapper as hereinabove described.

(ii) Compartments

At least one compartment of the primary package is substantially air-tight before it is opened, preferably two or more compartments are substantially air-tight before they are opened and most preferably three or more are substantially air-tight before they are opened for the first time. It is most preferred that regardless of how many compartments make up the primary package that they are all substantially air-tight before they are opened for the first time.

The substantially air-tight seal may be formed in any suitable way using any suitable material. The at least one compartment which is substantially air-tight before it is opened for the first time preferably comprises a substantially air-tight closure means adhered to the compartment. This may take the form of a seal arranged such that it can easily be removed by the consumer when opening the compartment for the first time. Suitable substantially air-tight seals include closure means comprising a flexible web of material, such as a foil, bonded to the compartment e.g. around the edges of the closure means and which are removed by simply peeling it away from the compartment, often aided by a tab placed on one edge or corner of the closure means. Such substantially air-tight seals are known in the art and do not require further description here.

The two or more compartments of the primary package are opened individually. Preferably they are also closed individually. This means that when one compartment is opened by removing a part of that compartment thus breaking the substantially air tight seal, the seals of the other compartments remain intact until it is decided by the consumer to break the seal and open the compartment. Accordingly the consumer has the choice of which compartment to open first and when there are three or more compartments also the choice of in which order to open those compartments. Thus the consumer may choose to open the compartments sequentially; as each compartment becomes empty of tablets he/she will choose which compartment to open next. It is of course possible that the consumer may choose to open all compartments at about the same time but this is less preferred as the advantages of the invention are less likely to be achieved.

When a compartment has been opened by breaking its substantially airtight seal in order to remove one or more unit dose detergent portions, the compartment may be closed by any suitable closure means. This closure of the compartment with the closure means may or may not result in a substantially air-tight seal for the compartment being reformed. It is thus preferred that the package comprises a further individual closure means for one or more compartments.

Suitable closure means may comprise tongue-and-groove means or faster means such as zip fastener means to connect to the compartment. According to a preferred aspect of the invention tongue-and-grove means are preferred.

Typically the closure means comprises a lid which covers the open part of the compartment formed by the removal of the substantially airtight seal. The lid engages with the perimeter of the open part of the compartment and preferably positively engages therewith. After the compartment has been opened for the first time by removing the substantially air tight seal, the lid is then removed each time it is desired to take a unit dose detergent portion from the compartment. When the substantially airtight seal is still attached to the compartment, the lid preferably sits above this seal (relative to the compartment) and is also in contact with the compartment.

The lid may be designed so that it has an vertically protruding lip on at least a portion of its upper surface (the upper surface being that surface which faces outwards when affixed to the compartment) to provide an additional means for aiding the stability of the primary package when it comprises two or more compartments in a stacked arrangement. This protruding lip aids dimensional stability of stacked compartments as it provides a physical barrier to prevent the compartments moving relative to each other during transport and handling etc and thus reduces the likelihood of one of the compartments in the stack falling off the compartment below. The protruding lip of the lid may be of any suitable height and width but it will not typically be more than 30% of the height of the compartment to which the lid is attached, preferably not more than 20%. Typically the lip will be in the region of 5-10% of the height of said compartment. For the reasons of dimensional stability it is therefore especially preferred that two or more compartments of the primary package have a protruding lip on the lid (used as a closure means once the airtight seal has been removed) and furthermore are reversibly bound together by an wrapper as described hereinabove.

According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention the lid has the aforementioned protruding lip around the perimeter of its upper surface (the upper surface being relative to when it is placed on the compartment) and this lip is shaped so as to allow for an wrapper to engage with the lip across only a proportion thereof without the wrapper protruding above the highest part of the protruding lip. This shaped portion of the protruding lip can take the form of a cut-away section which substantially corresponds to the shape of the wrapper which contacts the lip.

The compartments and closure means (lid) may be made of any suitable material, preferably a plastics material. Examples of suitable plastics are well known in the packaging art and include materials such as polypropylene, polyethylene (low and high density), polyethylene terephalate, Polystyrene, Expanded Polystyrene, Acrylonitrite Butadiene Styrene, Polyvinyl Chloride, Polyester and mixtures thereof. The actual material, or mixtures of materials used is easily selected by the person skilled in the art on the basis of the degree of transparency desired, the method by which the compartments/closure means will be produced and the required degree of rigidity or flexibility.

According to one embodiment of the present invention it is preferred that at least one compartment in the primary package is substantially transparent to the naked eye, preferably transparent to the naked eye, so that the unit dose detergent portions can be seen when placed inside a closed compartment. It is most preferred that two or more compartments are substantially transparent and further preferred that all compartments are substantially transparent. It is especially preferred that two or more compartments are substantially transparent and further preferred that all compartments are substantially transparent. The closure means (lid) may be either transparent or opaque as desired. In one preferred embodiment at least one of the compartments of the primary package is transparent and the closure means (lid) thereof is translucent or opaque, preferably all compartments are transparent and all closure means (lids) are translucent or opaque, more preferably opaque.

The compartments and closure means (lid) may be as flexible or as rigid as desired. However, whilst a degree of flexibility is desirable to avoid breakages in transport caused by a very brittle compartment not being able to absorb impacts normally encountered during filling and transport, the compartments and closure means (lid) are preferably sufficiently rigid to allow for at least one more identical compartment with its contents to be stacked on the top of a given compartment without the bottom compartment visibly deforming. It is more preferred that at least two additional identical compartments and their contents may be stacked on the top of a given compartment without it visibly deforming, more preferably at least three.

The compartments may be produced by any conventional technical for the manufacture of plastic articles, especially the methods used for the manufacture of plastic packaging items, such as thermoforming or injection or blow moulding. Such techniques are well known in the art and do not need to be described in detail herein.

Each compartment of the primary package contains a plurality of unit dose detergent portions. It is preferred that each compartment comprises at least 2 such portions, more preferably at least 5 such portions, most preferably at least 10 such portions, such as 12 or more portions. It is also preferred that each compartment contains up to 50 unit dose detergent compositions, more preferably up to 40, most preferably up to 30, such as up to 20.

The total number of unit dose detergent options in the primary package can of course easily be controlled by selecting the appropriate combination of the number of detergent portions per compartment and the number of compartments in the primary package. It is preferred that the primary package contains a total of between 10 and 100 unit dose detergent portions, preferable between 15 and 80, more preferably between 20 and 60, such as between 30 and 50. This total number of unit dose detergent portions is divided either equally or unequally over the two or more compartments of the primary package. It is generally preferred that the total number of unit dose detergent portions is divided equally over the two or more compartments of the primary package.

(iii) Unit Dose Detergent Portions

The unit dose detergent portions included in the compartments may be of any suitable form, for example; tablets of detergent composition (compressed or cast) or pouches, sachets or hollow bodies filled with powder, liquid or gel detergent compositions (and also those filled with discrete mixtures thereof). According to one aspect of the present invention it is preferred that the unit dose detergent portion comprises a compressed particulate material.

It is possible that at least one of the compartments in the primary package contains detergent composition in a non-unit dose form e.g. granulated or powdered detergent in a free flowing form. However, it is preferred that at least half, if not all of the compartments contain unit dose detergent portions.

The primary package contains a plurality of unit dose detergent portions which may be of the same or different composition. In one embodiment of the present invention the unit dose detergent portions in the primary package are of the same composition. In another embodiment the primary package contains two or more different detergent compositions in unit dose form e.g. a machine dishwashing composition and a machine cleaning composition, or, a laundry detergent composition and a fabric softening composition.

The tablets may be of either cast or compressed detergent composition although it is preferred that they are of compressed material.

The pouches/sachets may be produced by conventional methods such as thermoforming or injection moulding and may be formed from conventional materials. It is preferred that the pouches/sachets are formed from material which comprises water-soluble material and most preferred that they are made from at least 90% wt of such materials, more preferably that they consist of such materials. For the avoidance of doubt the reference here to pouches/sachets is only to the pouch/sachet per se and does not encompass the detergent composition contained within it.

The unit dose detergent portions may be of any shape or form including, tablets, sachets and pouches as disclosed herein. The unit dose detergent portion may have a irregular or regular geometrical shape such as a cube, cuboid, pyramid/prism, dodecahedron or cylinder. The cylinder may have any desired cross-section, such as a circular, triangular or square cross-section.

According to one preferred aspect of the invention the unit dose detergent portion comprises a compressed particulate composition and is most preferably a tablet. The tablet may, for example, be formed by compressing a particulate, for example powder, granulated or agglomerated, composition or may be prepared by setting or gelling a composition into a desired shape.

The unit dose detergent portions may comprise a single particulate composition or two, three or even more compositions. For example, the compacted particulate composition may comprise one, two or even three or more layers or visually separate phases. One or more layers may be formed of a gelled composition. The tablet may comprise only compressed particulate composition(s), only a gelled composition(s) or both.

The portions may contain one or more than one composition, for example compacted particulate compositions. If the packages contain two or more compositions, they can have a particularly attractive appearance since the compositions, which may be identical or different, may be held in a fixed position in relation to each other. The compositions can be easily differentiated to accentuate their difference. For example, the compositions can have a different physical appearance, or can be coloured differently.

If the portion has two or more phases, the individual phases need not necessarily be regular or identical. For example, if the final portion has a cuboid shape, the individual phases may have different sizes to accommodate different quantities thereof. The phases may have the same or different size and/or shape. In general, if it is desired to have phases containing different quantities of components, the phases have volume ratios of from 1:1 to 20:1, especially from 1:1 to 10:1.

The unit dose detergent portion may also, for example, comprise an insert, which may be held in a depression within the portion. The insert may also stand proud of the surface of the portion. For example, the portion may be in the form of a tablet, especially a cuboid tablet, comprising one, two or more layers, with an insert, for example in the form of a ball contained within a depression on/in a surface of the tablet.

The individual unit dose detergent portions generally weigh from 5 to 100 g, especially from 5 to 40 g. For example, a laundry composition may weigh from 15 to 40 g, a dishwashing composition may weigh from 5 to 30 g and a water-softening composition may weigh from 15 to 40 g.

The individual unit dose detergent portions generally have a maximum dimension of 10 cm, excluding any flanges. For example, they may have a length of 1 to 5 cm, especially 3.5 to 4.5 cm, a width of 1.5 to 3.5 cm, especially 2 to 3 cm, and a height of 1 to 3 cm, especially 1.0 to 2.0 cm, e.g. 1.8 cm.

The unit dose detergent portions contained within the compartments may, for example, comprise fabric care, surface care or dishwashing compositions. If more than one composition is present within the unit dose detergent portion, each composition may be chosen depending on the desired use of the article.

In use, the desired number of the unit dose detergent portions (whether covered by a water-soluble outer wrapper or not) are removed from their compartment and are simply added to water. Thus they may be added in the usual way to a dishwasher or laundry machine, especially in the dishwashing compartment or a drum. They may also be added to a quantity of water, for example in a bucket or trigger-type spray.

The unit dose detergent portion may comprise any type of detergent composition(s), preferably fabric care, surface care or dishwashing composition(s).

If the unit dose detergent portions are for use in fabric care, they may comprise, for example, a detergent, bleach, stain remover, water-softener, enzyme and/or fabric conditioner. The portions may be adapted to release the compositions at different times during the laundry wash. For example, a bleach or fabric conditioner is generally released at the end of a wash, and a water-softener is generally released at the start of a wash. An enzyme may be released at the start or the end of a wash.

If the unit dose detergent portions are for use as a fabric conditioner, the composition may comprise a fabric conditioner and/or an enzyme which is released before or after the fabric conditioner in a rinse cycle.

If the unit dose detergent portions are for use in dishwashing the portion may comprise a detergent, water-softener, salt, enzyme, rinse aid, bleach and/or bleach activator. The detergent portion may be adapted to release the compositions at different times during the wash. For example, a rinse aid, bleach or bleach activator is generally released at the end of a wash, and a water-softener, salt or enzyme is generally released at the start of a wash.

Examples of surface care unit dose detergent portions are compositions are those used in the field of surface care, for example to clean, treat or polish a surface. Suitable surfaces are, for example, household surfaces such as worktops, as well as surfaces of sanitary ware, such as sinks, basins and lavatories.

In particular dish washing formulations are preferred which are adapted to be used in automatic dish washing machines. Due to their specific requirements specialised formulation is required and these are illustrated below.

Amounts of the ingredients can vary within wide ranges, however preferred automatic dishwashing detergent compositions herein (which typically have a 1% aqueous solution pH of above 7, more preferably from 8 to 12, most preferably from 8 to 10.5) are those wherein there is present: from 5% to 90%, preferably from 5% to 75%, of builder; from 0.1% to 40%, preferably from 0.5% to 30%, of bleaching agent; from 0.1% to 15%, preferably from 0.2% to 10%, of the surfactant system; from 0.0001% to 1%, preferably from 0.001% to 0.05%, of a metal-containing bleach catalyst; and from 0.1% to 40%, preferably from 0.1% to 20% of a water-soluble silicate. Such fully-formulated embodiments typically further comprise from 0.1% to 15% of a polymeric dispersant, from 0.01% to 10% of a chelant, and from 0.00001% to 10% of a detersive enzyme, though further additional or adjunct ingredients may be present. Detergent compositions herein in granular form typically limit water content, for example to less than 7% free water, for better storage stability. These granular forms of the detergent composition are typically compacted to produce tablets of detergent composition.

Typically the unit dose detergent portions comprise one of more surfactants. If the compositions are not for use in automatic dishwashing applications they typically comprise an anionic surfactant. Such surfactants can be used in automatic dishwashing compositions but this is less preferred because anionic surfactants tend to foam too much for use in a dishwashing machine.

Examples of anionic surfactants are straight-chained or branched alkyl sulfates and alkyl polyalkoxylated sulfates, also known as alkyl ether sulfates. Such surfactants may be produced by the sulfation of higher C₈-C₂₀ fatty alcohols.

Examples of primary alkyl sulfate surfactants are those of formula:

ROSO₃ ⁻M⁺

wherein R is a linear C₈-C₂₀ hydrocarbyl group and M is a water-solubilising cation. Preferably R is C₁₀-C₁₆ alkyl, for example C₁₂-C₁₄, and M is alkali metal such as lithium, sodium or potassium.

Examples of secondary alkyl sulfate surfactants are those which have the sulfate moiety on a “backbone” of the molecule, for example those of formula:

CH₂(CH₂)_(n)(CHOSO₃ ⁻M⁺)(CH₂)_(m)CH₃

wherein m and n are independently 2 or more, the sum of m+n typically being 6 to 20, for example 9 to 15, and M is a water-solubilising cation such as lithium, sodium or potassium.

Especially preferred secondary alkyl sulfates are the (2,3) alkyl sulfate surfactants of formulae:

CH₂(CH₂)_(x)(CHOSO₃ ⁻M⁺)CH₃

and

CH₃(CH₂)_(x)(CHOSO₃ ⁻M⁺)CH₂CH₃

for the 2-sulfate and 3-sulfate, respectively. In these formulae x is at least 4, for example 6 to 20, preferably 10 to 16. M is cation, such as an alkali metal, for example lithium, sodium or potassium.

Examples of alkoxylated alkyl sulfates are ethoxylated alkyl sulfates of the formula:

RO(C₂H₄O)_(n)SO₃ ⁻M⁺

wherein R is a C₈-C₂₀ alkyl group, preferably C₁₀-C₁₈ such as a C₁₂-C₁₆, n is at least 1, for example from 1 to 20, preferably 1 to 15, especially 1 to 6, and M is a salt-forming cation such as lithium, sodium, potassium, ammonium, alkylammonium or alkanolammonium. These compounds can provide especially desirable fabric cleaning performance benefits when used in combination with alkyl sulfates.

The alkyl sulfates and alkyl ether sulfates will generally be used in the form of mixtures comprising varying alkyl chain lengths and, if present, varying degrees of alkoxylation.

Other anionic surfactants which may be employed are salts of fatty acids, for example C₈-C₁₈ fatty acids, especially the sodium or potassium salts, and alkyl, for example C₈-C₁₈, benzene sulfonates.

Nonionic surfactants are the preferred surfactants for use in dishwashing applications and they may also be used in other applications in addition to, or in place of, anionic surfactants. In compositions for dishwashing applications nonionic surfactants are typically present at levels of up to 15% wt of the composition. Mixtures of nonionic surfactants may be used if desired. In general, bleach-stable surfactants are preferred. Non-ionic surfactants generally are well known, being described in more detail in Kirk Othmer's Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 3rd Ed., Vol. 22, pp. 360-379, “Surfactants and Detersive Systems”, incorporated by reference herein.

Examples of non-ionic surfactants are fatty acid alkoxylates, such as fatty acid ethoxylates, especially those of formula:

R(C₂H₄O)_(n)OH

wherein R is a straight or branched C₈-C₁₆ alkyl group, preferably a C₉-C₁₅, for example C₁₀-C₁₄, alkyl group and n is at least 1, for example from 1 to 16, preferably 2 to 12, more preferably 3 to 10.

One class of non-ionics are ethoxylated non-ionic surfactants prepared by the reaction of a monohydroxy alkanol or alkylphenol with 6 to 20 carbon atoms with preferably at least 12 moles particularly preferred at least 16 moles, and still more preferred at least 20 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol or alkylphenol. Particularly preferred non-ionic surfactants are the non-ionics from a linear chain fatty alcohol with 16-20 carbon atoms and at least 12 moles particularly preferred at least 16 and still more preferred at least 20 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol.

The alkoxylated fatty alcohol non-ionic surfactant will frequently have a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) which ranges from 3 to 17, more preferably from 6 to 15, most preferably from 10 to 15.

Examples of fatty alcohol ethoxylates are those made from alcohols of 12 to 15 carbon atoms and which contain about moles of ethylene oxide. Such materials are commercially marketed under the trademarks Neodol 25-7 and Neodol 23-6.5 by Shell Chemical Company. Other useful Neodols include Neodol 1-5, an ethoxylated fatty alcohol averaging 11 carbon atoms in its alkyl chain with about 5 moles of ethylene oxide; Neodol 23-9, an ethoxylated primary C₁₂-C₁₃ alcohol having about 9 moles of ethylene oxide; and Neodol 91-10, an ethoxylated C₉-C₁₁ primary alcohol having about 10 moles of ethylene oxide.

Alcohol ethoxylates of this type have also been marketed by Shell Chemical Company under the Dobanol trademark. Dobanol 91-5 is an ethoxylated C₉-C₁₁ fatty alcohol with an average of 5 moles ethylene oxide and Dobanol 25-7 is an ethoxylated C₁₂-C₁₅ fatty alcohol with an average of 7 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of fatty alcohol.

Other examples of suitable ethoxylated alcohol non-ionic surfactants include Tergitol 15-S-7 and Tergitol 15-S-9, both of which are linear secondary alcohol ethoxylates available from Union Carbide Corporation. Tergitol 15-S-7 is a mixed ethoxylated product of a C₁₁-C₁₅ linear secondary alkanol with 7 moles of ethylene oxide and Tergitol 15-S-9 is the same but with 9 moles of ethylene oxide.

Other suitable alcohol ethoxylated non-ionic surfactants are Neodol 45-11, which is a similar ethylene oxide condensation products of a fatty alcohol having 14-15 carbon atoms and the number of ethylene oxide groups per mole being about 11. Such products are also available from Shell Chemical Company.

Another preferred non-ionic surfactant can be described by the formula:

R¹O[CH₂CH(CH₃)O]_(X)[CH₂CH₂O]_(Y)[CH₂CH(OH)R²]

wherein R¹ represents a linear or branched chain aliphatic hydrocarbon group with 4-18 carbon atoms or mixtures thereof, R² represents a linear or branched chain aliphatic hydrocarbon rest with 2-26 carbon atoms or mixtures thereof, x is a value between 0.5 and 1.5 and y is a value of at least 15.

Another group of preferred nonionic surfactants are the end-capped polyoxyalkylated non-ionics of formula:

R¹O[CH₂CH(R³)O]_(X)[CH₂]_(k)CH(OH)[CH₂]_(j)OR²

wherein R¹ and R² represent linear or branched chain, saturated or unsaturated, aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon groups with 1-30 carbon atoms, R³ represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, iso-propyl, n-butyl, 2-butyl or 2-methyl-2-butyl group, x is a value between 1 and 30 and, k and j are values between 1 and 12, preferably between 1 and 5. When the value of x is >2 each R³ in the formula above can be different. R¹ and R² are preferably linear or branched chain, saturated or unsaturated, aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon groups with 6-22 carbon atoms, where group with 8 to 18 carbon atoms are particularly preferred. H, methyl or ethyl are particularly preferred, for the group R³. Particularly preferred values for x are comprised between 1 and 20, preferably between 6 and 15.

As described above, in case x>2, each R³ in the formula can be different. For instance, when x=3, the group R³ could be chosen to build ethylene oxide (R³═H) or propylene oxide (R³=methyl) units which can be used in every single order for instance (PO)(EO)(EO), (EO)(PO)(EO), (EO)(EO)(PO), (EO)(EO)(EO), (PO)(EO)(PO), (PO)(PO)(EO) and (PO)(PO)(PO). The value 3 for x is only an example and bigger values can be chosen whereby a higher number of variations of (EO) or (PO) units would arise.

Preferably the PO units constitute up to 25% by weight, preferably up to 20% by weight and still more preferably up to 15% by weight of the overall molecular weight of the non-ionic surfactant. Particularly preferred surfactants are ethoxylated mono-hydroxy alkanols or alkylphenols, which additionally comprises polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block copolymer units. The alcohol or alkylphenol portion of such surfactants constitutes more than 30%, preferably more than 50%, more preferably more than 70% by weight of the overall molecular weight of the non-ionic surfactant.

Another class of non-ionic surfactants includes reverse block copolymers of polyoxyethylene and polyoxypropylene and block copolymers of polyoxyethylene and polyoxypropylene initiated with trimethylolpropane.

Particularly preferred end-capped polyoxyalkylated alcohols of the above formula are those where k=1 and j=1 originating molecules of simplified formula:

R¹O[CH₂CH(R³)O]_(X)CH₂CH(OH)CH₂OR²

Further non-ionic surfactants are, for example, C₁₀-C₁₈ alkyl polyglycosides, such s C₁₂-C₁₆ alkyl polyglycosides, especially the polyglucosides. These are especially useful when high foaming compositions are desired. Further surfactants are polyhydroxy fatty acid amides, such as C₁₀-C₁₈ N-(3-methoxypropyl) glycamides and ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block polymers of the Pluronic type.

Cationic surfactants may also be used in the detergent compositions, for example, those of the quaternary ammonium type.

The compositions, particularly when used as laundry washing or dishwashing compositions, may also independently comprise enzymes, such as protease, lipase, amylase, cellulase and peroxidase enzymes. Such enzymes are commercially available and sold, for example, under the registered trade marks Esperase, Alcalase and Savinase by Nova Industries A/S and Maxatase by International Biosynthetics, Inc. Desirably the enzymes are independently present in the compositions in an amount of from 0.01 to 3 wt %, especially 0.01 to 2 wt %, when added as commercial preparations they are not pure and this represents an equivalent amount of 0.005 to 0.5 wt % of pure enzyme.

Compositions which comprise an enzyme may optionally contain materials which maintain the stability of the enzyme. Such enzyme stabilizers include, for example, polyols such as propylene glycol, boric acid and borax. Combinations of these enzyme stabilizers may also be employed. If utilized, the enzyme stabilizers generally constitute from 0.01 to 2 wt % of the compositions.

The compositions usually comprise a detergency builder. The builders counteract the effects of calcium, or other ion, water hardness. Examples of such materials are citrate, succinate, malonate, carboxymethyl succinate, carboxylate, polycarboxylate and polyacetyl carboxylate salts, for example with alkali metal or alkaline earth metal cations, or the corresponding free acids. Specific examples are sodium, potassium and lithium salts of oxydisuccinic acid, mellitic acid, benzene polycarboxylic acids, C₁₀-C₂₂ fatty acids and citric acid. Other examples are organic phosphonate type sequestering agents such as those sold by Monsanto under the trade mark Dequest and alkylhydroxy phosphonates. Citrate salts and C₁₂-C₁₈ fatty acid soaps are preferred. Further builders are; phosphates such as sodium, potassium or ammonium salts of mono-, di- or tri-poly or oligo-phosphates; zeolites; silicates, amorphous or structured, such as sodium, potassium or ammonium salts. For laundry compositions, alumino silicates (zeolites) may also be used and these are less preferred in automatic dishwashing applications.

Other suitable builders are polymers and copolymers known to have builder properties. For example, such materials include appropriate polyacrylic acid, polymaleic acid, and polyacrylic/polymaleic and copolymers and their salts, such as those sold by BASF under the trade mark Sokalan.

The builder is desirably present in an amount of up to 90 wt %, preferably 0.01 to 90 wt %, more preferable 0.01 to 75 wt %, relative to the total weight of the composition. Further details of suitable components are given in, for example, EP-A-694,059, EP-A-518,720 and WO 99/06522.

The compositions of the present invention may comprise conventional bleaching compounds and bleach activators in conventional amounts. If a bleaching compound is used in the compositions of the invention, then any type of bleaching compound conventionally used in detergent compositions may be used. Preferably the bleaching compound is selected from inorganic peroxides or organic peracids, derivatives thereof (including their salts) and mixtures thereof. Especially preferred inorganic peroxides are percarbonates, perborates and persulphates with their sodium and potassium salts being most preferred. Sodium percarbonate and sodium perborate are most preferred, especially sodium percarbonate.

Organic peracids include all organic peracids traditionally used as bleaches, including, for example, perbenzoic acid and peroxycarboxylic acids such as mono- or diperoxyphthalic acid, 2-octyldiperoxysuccinic acid, diperoxydodecanedicarboxylic acid, diperoxy-azelaic acid and imidoperoxycarboxylic acid and, optionally, the salts thereof. Especially preferred is phthalimidoperhexanoic acid (PAP).

When a bleaching compound is present in the compositions in an amount of from 1 to 60 wt %, especially 5 to 55 wt %, most preferably 10 to 50% wt, such as 10 to 20% wt.

If a bleaching compound is used, it may be used with any suitable bleach activator compound, such as TAED or any multi-valent metal ion compounds or salts as known in the art. Such a compound may be used in any suitable amount.

The compositions may optionally comprise materials which serve as phase stabilizers and/or co-solvents. Examples are C₁-C₃ alcohols such as methanol, ethanol and propanol. C₁-C₃ alkanolamines such as mono-, di- and triethanolamines can also be used, by themselves or in combination with the alcohols. The phase stabilizers and/or co-solvents can, for example, constitute 0 to 1 wt %, preferably 0.1 to 0.5 wt %, of the composition.

The compositions may optionally comprise components which adjust or maintain the pH of the compositions at optimum levels. The pH may be from, for example, 1 to 13, such as 8 to 11 depending on the nature of the composition. For example a dishwashing composition desirably has a pH of 8 to 11, a laundry composition desirable has a pH of 7 to 9, and a water-softening composition desirably has a pH of 7 to 9. Examples of pH adjusting agents are soda ash (Na₂CO₃) and citric acid.

The compositions can also optionally comprise one or more additional ingredients. These include conventional detergent composition components such as suds boosters or suds suppressors, anti-tarnish and anti-corrosion agents, organic solvents, co-solvents, emulsifying agents, preservatives, soil suspending agents, soil release agents, germicides, non-builder alkalinity sources, chelating agents, clays such as smectite clays, anti-limescale agents, colourants, dyes, hydrotropes, dye transfer inhibiting agents, brighteners, and perfumes. If used, such optional ingredients may constitute up to 60 wt %, for example from 1 to 50 wt %, the total weight of the compositions.

Detergent tablets are fairly fragile, and are liable to break, fracture or chip, particularly when dropped by a consumer, or when a package containing them is dropped or falls. It is possible to improve the strength of tablets by increasing the pressure at which they are compressed, but this can undesirably retard their dissolution properties in water.

Most tablets are wrapped in a protective wrapping material prior to packaging, such as blister packs, or individual sachets. Often the wrapping is needed for any one or more of the following reasons: (1) to act as a physical barrier, so as to protect the contents from moisture; (2) to physically protect the contents such that if they fracture, the broken tablet does not contaminate the primary packaging and/or (3) to act as a child resistant closure.

It is especially preferred that the unit dose detergent portions, especially of compressed particulate material, and most especially tablets, are wrapped in an outer wrapper, especially a water soluble or water dispersible outer wrapper. For such unit dose detergent portions wrapped in water soluble wrappers there is a real need to protect these products from moisture as this over time can begin degrade the wrapper thus reducing the integrity of the portion.

WO06/095190, which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses a process for packaging compacted particulate compositions, especially tablets, by which the resistance of the composition to physical damage is surprisingly increased. This allows for a wider range of physical properties of the compacted particulate composition to be tolerated, such as reduced hardness and increased friability, thus allowing a wider window of ingredient selection and manufacturing tolerances. Thus the tablets produced by the process exhibit good dissolution properties in water. The process comprises wrapping a compacted particulate composition (tablet) in a water soluble film by wrapping it with a first film and treating the wrapped compacted particulate composition at an elevated temperature to shrink the film such that it clings to said composition.

Flow wrapping is particularly preferred. Generally flow wrapping comprises sealing peripheral regions of a web of film around an object to form a tube with a longitudinal seam. The two ends of the tube are sealed around the product being packaged by transverse seams. In forming the transverse seams the longitudinal seam is brought next to the surface of the packaged product and is normally disposed in the middle of the rear face of the packaging. This method of wrapping compacted particulate compositions with a film of material is straightforward and economical, when compared to, for example, dipping or spray coating.

The film is preferably sealed together in a known manner. Sealing can simply occur under the forming conditions used, particularly when heat and/or pressure are used. However, it is also possible for additional sealing techniques to be used. For example, heat sealing or infra-red, radio frequency, ultrasonic, laser, solvent, adhesive, vibration, electromagnetic, hot gas, hot plate or insert bonding friction sealing, cold sealing or spin welding can be used. Heat sealing is preferred.

Heat sealing conditions depend on the machine and material used. Generally the sealing temperature is from 100 to 180° C. The pressure is usually from 100 to 500 kPa (1 to 5 bar). The dwell time is generally from 0.02 to 0.6 seconds.

A heat treatment step may optionally be carried out to shrink the film. The heat treatment step is preferably carried out over a short timescale to avoid thermal damage to the film and/or the compacted particulate composition. It will be appreciated that the amount of time required for this step will be dependent on the thickness of the film being used. Generally the heat treatment step is carried out in a time of 0.1 to 5 seconds, more preferably 0.2 to 4 seconds, more preferably 0.5 to 2 seconds, more preferably 1.0 to 2.0 seconds, e.g. about 1.5 seconds.

Most preferably the heat treatment step is carried out in a zone through which the wrapped composition is conveyed. In this way it has been found that the heat treatment step may form part of a production process for a wrapped compacted particulate composition wherein the process includes other steps, such as the compaction of the composition. Such processes generally operate at around 1500 individual compacted particulate compositions per minute on a single operational line. It has been found that advantageously the process of the present invention is able to work with this rate of throughput.

Generally the zone comprises a flow (e.g. in the form of jets) of hot air over the wrapped compacted particulate compositions. Preferably a plurality of jets of hot air are passed over the wrapped composition. For example a jet of air may be directed at the composition from above, a jet of air may be directed at the composition from below and a jet of air may be directed at one or more sides of the composition. In order that multiple jets of air may be directed at the wrapped composition preferably the composition is carried on an apertured conveyor through the zone.

It will be understood that the temperature of the jets of air will depend upon the nature of the wrapped composition (particularly if the composition is thermally sensitive) and the film, material being used. Generally the air is heated to a temperature of between 90 to 950° C., more preferably 140 to 800° C., more preferably 180 to 650° C.

It will be appreciated that the film temperature may be lower than the temperature of the air jet. Most preferably the film temperature is between 80 to 220° C. and more preferably 120 to 180° C.

Generally the film has an aperture to allow the release of any trapped air during the heating process. Most preferably the film (when applied to the compacted particulate composition) has a plurality of apertures. Preferably the apertures are disposed on the upper surface of the particulate composition. Usually the apertures are applied using a punch. The apertures have a preferred size (before the heat treatment step) of from around 0.1 to 0.3 mm.

A cooling step has been found to be only optional rather than a requisite.

The film used in the process for wrapping the tablet may be any film which is water-soluble or water dispersible. Thus the tablet is preferably wrapped in a outer wrapper which is water soluble or water dispersible. References hereinafter to water soluble also include water dispersible. A water soluble film allows the tablet to be dispersed in an aqueous medium without having to be unwrapped. Preferably the film comprises a polymeric material.

Examples of water-soluble polymers are poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVOH), cellulose derivatives such as hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), gelatin, poly(vinylpyrrolidone), poly(acrylic acid) or an ester thereof or poly(maleic acid) or an ester thereof. Copolymers of any of these polymers may also be used. Poly (vinyl alcohol), and copolymers thereof is especially preferred for the outer wrapper.

An example of a preferred PVOH is an esterified or etherified PVOH. The PVOH may be partially or fully alcoholised or hydrolysed. For example it may be from 40 to 100%, preferably from 70 to 92%, more preferably about 88% or about 92%, alcoholised or hydrolysed. The degree of hydrolysis is known to influence the temperature at which the PVOH starts to dissolve in water. 88% hydrolysis corresponds to a PVOH soluble in cold (i.e. room temperature) water, whereas 92% hydrolysis corresponds to a PVOH soluble in warm water.

By choosing an appropriate water-soluble polymer it is possible to ensure that it dissolves at a desired temperature. Thus the film may be cold water (20° C.) soluble, but may be insoluble in cold water and only become soluble in warm or hot water having a temperature of, for example, 30° C., 40° C., 50° C. or even 60° C.

Desirably the film consists essentially of, or consists of, the polymer composition. It is possible for suitable additives such as plasticisers, lubricants and colouring agents to be added. A particularly attractive appearance can be achieved by having the films in different colours, or by having one film uncoloured and the other coloured. Components which modify the properties of the polymer may also be added. Plasticisers are generally used in an amount of up to 20 wt %, for example from 5 to 20 wt % or 10 to 20 wt %. Lubricants are generally used in an amount of 0.5 to 5 wt %. The polymer is therefore generally used in an amount of from 75 to 94.5 wt %, based on the total amount of the moulding composition. Suitable plasticisers are, for example, water, pentaerythritols such as depentaerythritol, sorbitol, mannitol, glycerine and glycols such as glycerol, ethylene glycol and polyethylene glycol. Solids such as talc, stearic acid, magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide, zinc stearate or colloidal silica may be used as lubricants.

It is also possible to include one or more particulate solids in the films in order to accelerate the rate of dissolution of the film. Dissolution of the solid in water is sufficient to cause an acceleration in the break-up of the film, particularly if a gas is generated.

Examples of such solids are alkali and alkaline earth metal, such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium, bicarbonate and carbonate, in conjunction with an acid. Suitable acids are, for example acidic substances having carboxylic or sulfonic acid groups or salts thereof. Examples are cinnamic, tartaric, mandelic, fumaric, maleic, malic, palmoic, citric and naphthalene disulfonic acids, as free acids or as their salts, for example with alkali or alkaline earth metals.

The film may be a single film, or a laminated film as disclosed in GB-A-2,244,258. The layers in a film laminate may be the same or different. Thus the layers may each comprise the same polymer or a different polymer.

The film may be produced by any process, for example by extrusion and blowing or by casting. The film may be unoriented, monoaxially oriented or biaxially oriented. If the layers in the film are oriented, they usually have the same orientation, although their planes of orientation may be different if desired.

The thickness of the film is preferably 10 to 2000v, especially 10 to 150 μm and more especially 15 to 80 μm. These measurements are before any heat treatment is applied to shrink the film; after heat treatment some of the film may have a different thickness, particularly around the corners of the wrapped composition.

As disclosed in WO06/095190 the outer wrapper helps provide structural integrity to the wrapped detergent composition, which is typically in a solid form such as a detergent tablet formed by compaction. It is to be understood that extruded and injected moulded compositions are to be classed as compacted compositions herein. Accordingly a reduced compaction pressure may be used resulting in less densely compacted compositions which exhibit advantages in terms of dissolution times.

Preferably the wrapped unit dose detergent portion is softer than conventional compacted particulate compositions. The latter typically have hardness values in the range 230-260 N. Preferably the wrapped unit dose detergent portions have a hardness value not exceeding 200 N, preferably not exceeding 150 N. Preferably they have a hardness value of at least 80 N, preferably at least 100 N. For the purpose of these definitions the hardness testing may be as determined across the width of a standard shaped cuboid 20 g unwrapped detergent portion, tested to destruction, using an ERWEKA tablet hardness tester THB30. In this test the detergent portion is set on a generally L-shaped support, against the upwardly projecting limb thereof. A circular piston of 8 mm diameter is advanced at a rate of 30 mm per minute and pressed onto the central region of the respective side wall, until the tablet is broken.

The invention will now be described further with reference to the following example.

Example 1

Individual tablets of compacted dishwashing particulate composition were wrapped in a close-fitting polyvinyl alcohol outer wrapper, which is soluble in water. Fourteen of the wrapped tablets were placed in a transparent plastic compartment and a foil was applied over the open face of the compartment and a reversible bond formed at the perimeter of the foil where it contacted the perimeter of the compartment. A substantially airtight seal was then formed. Two further compartments were filled and sealed in the same manner. A plastic lid, having a lip that protruded above the planar surface of the lid (to a height of about 10% of the height of the compartment) and forming a part of a tongue and groove arrangement for connection to the compartment, was applied to each of the three compartments.

Two of the compartments were stacked onto the third compartment to make a ‘tower’ of three compartments. A close fitting plastic wrapper was then applied around the exterior of the tower formed by the three compartments so that it covered the front and back faces of the compartments but not the end faces to produce the primary package of the invention.

To access the tablets, the plastic lid was removed on one of the compartments, the substantially air-tight seal was broken and the tablet(s) removed by hand. To close the compartment the plastic lid was applied thereto and was held in place by the tongue-and-groove arrangement. Each compartment could be opened and closed individually.

The tablets in the compartments showed good stability (physical and chemical) for all 42 dishwashing tablets. 

1. A primary package comprising two or more individually openable compartments, each compartment comprising a plurality of unit dose detergent portions and wherein at least one compartment is substantially air-tight before it is opened for the first time.
 2. A package according to claim 1, wherein the package comprises three or more compartments which are individually openable.
 3. A package according to claim 1, wherein all compartments are substantially air-tight before they are opened for the first time.
 4. A package according to claim 1, wherein the at least one compartment which is substantially air-tight before it is opened for the first time comprises a substantially air-tight closure means adhered to the compartment.
 5. A package according to claim 4, wherein the substantially air-tight closure means comprises a flexible web of material.
 6. A package according to claim 4, wherein the package comprises a further individual closure means for one or more compartments.
 7. A package according to claim 6, wherein the further closure means connects to the compartment by a tongue-and-groove arrangement.
 8. A package according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of at least one compartment is transparent.
 9. A package according to claim 1, wherein the compartments are either stacked, arranged adjacent to each other or both.
 10. A package according to claim 1, wherein the compartments are reversibly bound to each other.
 11. A package according to claim 10, wherein the compartments are reversibly bound by a wrapper placed around at least a part of the package.
 12. A package according to claim 1, wherein the unit dose detergent portion comprises a compressed particulate material.
 13. A package according to claim 1, wherein the unit dose detergent portion comprises an outer wrapper.
 14. A package according to claim 13, wherein the outer wrapper is water soluble or water dispersible.
 15. A package according to claim 14, wherein the outer wrapper comprises poly(vinyl alcohol), cellulose derivatives, gelatin, poly(vinylpyrrolidone), poly(acrylic acid), an ester thereof or poly(maleic acid) or an ester thereof or copolymers thereof.
 16. A package according to claim 1, wherein the unit dose detergent portion comprises fabric care, surface care or dishwashing compositions. 